Searching for work, Romão (Wagner Moura), Rose (Cláudia Abreu), and their five children travel on four bicycles nearly 2,000 miles—from the State of Paraíba to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Wagner Moura won Best Actor at the Cartagena Film Festival in 2004 for his portrayal of the paterfamilias. In Portuguese, with English subtitles. The accompanying short film The Ecology of Love marked the debut of Pharrell Williams.

"Their simmering conflict springs from Rose's belief that her husband's financial expectations are foolish. She wants the family to suspend the journey and remain in one of the villages through which they pass. A particularly attractive job offer comes in a village where she finds low-paying but steady work weaving hammocks. The other conflict revolves around the couple's adolescent son, Antônio (Ravi Ramos Lacerda), who feels the first stirrings of rebellion and is desperate to prove himself a man.... The film gently conveys a sense of what it is like to be poor and illiterate in a region where almost everyone struggles to eke out a living. Impassioned prayers to patron saints play a large role in channeling frustrations and hopes."—NYTimes

"Although not what American studios generally mean by 'family fare,' this drama is actually excellent family viewing—it both opens a window onto another culture and speaks the universal language of teen angst."—TV Guide